Steven GodfreyAnchorage, Alaska

Biography

Steve Godfrey grew up in the town of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from the Hartford Art School in 1993 and his Masters of Fine Arts Degree from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1996. In 1998, Steve spent the year as a resident artist at The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts after spending time teaching ceramics at the Hartford Art School. In 1999, he accepted the position of Term Instructor and Ceramics Area Technician at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2004, Godfrey was hired as the area head of the Ceramics Area at UAA. As the co –curator of the Kimura Gallery and the Arc Gallery on the UAA campus, he has curated numerous exhibitions such as the National Figurative Sculpture Invitational, Interface: A Selection of Contemporary Ceramics, and as the coordinator of the Ceramics Area Visiting Artist Program, Steve has been responsible for organizing over 35 workshops with in internationally known artists such as Andrew Martin, Beth Cavener Stichter, Chris Staley, Arthur Gonzalez, Sunkoo Yuh, and Akio Takamori. Beyond teaching, he has been consistent in making and showing his ceramic work, participating in numerous exhibitions throughout Alaska and the lower forty-eight states. Recently, he was invited to participate in the North American Pottery Festival at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis MN. In 2013, Steven was awarded a sabbatical and spent a month studying figure sculpture at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramics Arts and at museums in San Diego and New York City.

When not in the studio, Steve enjoys renovating his house, making furniture, cooking, collecting art, and hiking in the mountains of Alaska.

Statement

Creating a simple coffee mug comes from my desire to use something everyday that strikes up a warm conversation with me. Making pots allows me to be a formalist who loves the symbolic results of a shape, color and texture combinations. I can be an engineer who develops a refreshing approach to something we have seen or used before. I have the freedom to design work to compliment a space or a table. With these attributes, I intend to raise the importance of the mug from mundane to meaningful, from words to poetry.

My choices of pots to make are based on the food and drink I prepare and consume everyday. The shapes present themselves during the making process. Formal decisions happen quickly, fueled by intuitive information. The forms originate from inspirations I receive historical ceramics. Pots from ancient Persia and Sung Dynasty China speak of clear intention and purpose. They have become symbols of purity and and visual harmony. My interpretations of these forms are small in size, which beckon intimate contact. The subtleties of stretched volume, soft curves, and organic textures create sensations reminiscent of human form. The resulting feel can swing from being humorous to serious, from sexy to sedate.

I use specific glazes to unify the variations of line quality and texture that exist in one piece. I have chosen soft colors that give a delicate but flamboyant edge to the grounded stature of the work. Glazes pool in the recesses of the markings giving depth to the surface. The process of firing to a hot temperature further melts the glazing giving the pots a glowing, gemlike surface. The manner in which I choose and combine materials leads to work that balances between the images of ornate “Sunday dinner” ware and the trustworthy “coffee mug in the car” ware.

I strive to be a designer of useful objects that are thoughtful in terms of my approach to form, selecting glazes, applying surface textures, and overall presentation. Presently, I see my work being a part of eating and drinking rituals of the every day. Involvement in a routine generates familiarity, understanding, and closeness. I hope for my pots to speak to people beyond their functionality and to tell a provoking story through the symbolism of form and color. I wish for them to be used and understood as objects that are testaments to observations of beauty.